Justice: Five Stages of Turnabout
by Child of Ragnarok
Summary: The second installment of the Justice trilogy. Time passes, but he is still in their thoughts. Rated T for mentions of character death and mature themes. If you have not done so, please read Justice: A Turnabout Gone Wrong before you read this. (Formerly known as Turnabout Solitude).
1. The Brother She Never Had (Trucy Wright)

**Disclaimer****: The Ace Attorney series and all characters and events therein belong to Capcom.**

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**Welcome to _Five Stages of Turnabout_****, the second installment of the Justice trilogy. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend that you read the first installment, ****_A Turnabout Gone Wrong_****, first.**

**_Five Stages of Turnabout_ will be a compilation of fifteen short stories, each regarding of a different character as they reflect upon times spent with Apollo and move on with their lives. Timelines will vary (before and after the funeral), and so will locations; both will be specified at the start of each chapter.**

**This story contains references to death and mature themes**** (albeit not mature enough to warrant an M rating). You have been warned.**

**I hope you will enjoy _Five Stages of Turnabout_****.**

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**Chapter One: The Brother She Never Had (Trucy Wright)**

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_Time__: A month after the funeral_

_Location: Apollo's grave_

* * *

She felt guilty for not having come to visit him sooner. But she had her reasons.

Ever since... it... had happened, she had immersed herself in her schoolwork and magic shows. Anything to keep her mind off what had happened. Anything that could help suppress the horrible memories, if only ever so slightly. But of course, she had known that at some point she was going to have to confront the reality of what had happened.

Blinking back a few stubborn tears, the young magician took a deep breath and knelt down at the white marble gravestone.

"Hey, Polly..." she whispered, more to herself than to anything else. Every word seemed like a tremendous effort.

"How are you? I hope you're not giving Mr. Terran a hard time, wherever you are. Don't worry about me, I'm keeping the agency in good order. Although it's not exactly the same without you, now is it..."

A thought struck her. "Did you see your funeral? I wish you could have. It was beautiful. Mr. Gavin even sang." Then, on a softer note: "Of course, I wish this whole thing had never happened. That you were still here. With me and Daddy and Thena, cracking cases and getting justice for the innocent as we always did. Like we still have to do. Although we have to do it without you now."

She took another deep breath to combat the tears threatening to spill. "I... I really miss you, Polly. We all do. But... I don't know how to explain it. You were different from the others. Of course, Daddy is Daddy and I love him to bits, and Athena is a really good friend, but... I don't know. It felt like we just connected. Like you were my long lost brother or something."

Trucy smiled sadly. "Remember that first time I showed you Mr. Hat? When I had to use him to get a recess because we were up a creek without a paddle on Wocky's case? I know I didn't show it then, but I was really moved because you were so worried for me." She chuckled slightly. "Although I wish you could have been more cooperative with being my assistant for my magic shows. I mean, you were always so jittery during the knife throwing act."

She sighed to herself before straightening up, brushing some snow off her cape. "Well, I have to go. I have a magic show coming up in an hour. I wish I had an assistant who wasn't Wesley Stickler, but he was the only one who replied to my ads. And I bet he only wants to see my panties anyway." She smiled, imagining Apollo cringing at her choice of words. Which he probably would have.

"You be good now, okay? And say hi to Mr. Terran for me." She swallowed. "Bye, Pollo."

With one last tear rolling down her cheek, Trucy Wright turned and walked away from her (unbeknownst to her) older brother.


	2. Herr Angel (Klavier Gavin)

**Chapter Two: Herr Angel (Klavier Gavin)**

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_Time__: One week after Apollo's death_

_Location__: Prosecutor's Building - Klavier's Office_

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To say that the atmosphere in a certain rock-'n'-roll god prosecutor's office was slightly less rock-'n'-roll as of late would be an understatement.

To say that the rock-'n'-roll god prosecutor in question was slightly less rock-'n'-roll as of late would be even more so.

Many among the Prosecutor's Office had been puzzled with the young prosecutor's friendly dynamic with his rival defense attorneys - after all, weren't they the _enemy_? Others (notably the Chief Prosecutor and Simon Blackquill) understood completely, due to their own friendly relationships with their rival defense attorneys. For Klavier Gavin, it was the most natural thing in the world, because of his brother. _At least something good came out of that man_, he mused to himself.

Normally, Klavier would be reading up on his next case, or playing guitar. Not today, though. Today, he was simply staring into the wall. He had an open file in front of him and a guitar on his lap. Neither of which interested him very much today._  
_

Contrary to popular belief, Klavier did not make friends very easily. Sure, he had no shortage of people around him, but that was generally because of the whole Gavinners thing. Only a select few people knew the man beneath the rock star. And one of those few was now gone forever.

There was a knock on the door, and the Chief Prosecutor himself entered the office. He looked at Klavier and sighed. "Prosecutor Gavin, I was under the impression that you were supposed to handle the Amano case next week." He got no response except for a blank stare. "Are you even listening to me?"

Klavier started. "Oh... uh... Chief Prosecutor! I'm... I'm sorry. There's a... a lot going on right now."

For a second, Klavier thought he saw a glint of compassion in the Chief Prosecutor's eye. Then it was gone. "Gavin, I know Justice was a friend of yours, but you need to get your act together. Take the afternoon off, go home and get your head together."

Klavier looked at the Chief Prosecutor and knew better than to argue. "Alright, Chief."

* * *

Once at home, Klavier lay down on his couch, lazily flicking through the TV channels. Nothing seemed to catch his eye - until one news report came on.

"I'm standing outside Courtroom 2, where bomb disposal specialist Ted Tonate has just been found guilty of an act of terrorism and the two murders of police officer Candice Arme and defense attorney Apollo Justice, both of whom were killed in Courtroom 4. With me here is case prosecutor Simon Blackquill. Mr. Blackquill, can you give us a statement?"

"Well, the details of this case are on a strict need-to-know basis" - _There's the Chief Prosecutor for you, _Klavier mused - "but Tonate was found guilty very quickly, with the mountain of evidence and testimonies against him. It will take further deliberation to determine his punishment, but it would not surprise me if he was given the death sentence." Klavier smiled mirthlessly. At least some justice was to be had.

Suddenly, an idea for a song struck him, the first since Apollo had passed away. He took his guitar and a notebook, and scribbled at the top of the page: "Herr Angel".

Dulcet tones soon filled the air, and Klavier smiled contently as he played. He couldn't bring Apollo back, but he could do the next best thing.

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**Author's note:**

**I intended to get this uploaded a lot sooner. I'm sorry. I... don't really have an excuse.**


	3. Science Doesn't Cut It (Ema Skye)

**Chapter Three: Science Doesn't Cut It (Ema Skye)**

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_Time__: A few days after Apollo's funeral_

_Location__: Precinct_

* * *

"This is the third time this week, Skye!" Clearly, the Chief Detective was less than pleased with his subordinate. "What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"I... I'm sorry, sir!" Detective Ema Skye was uncharacteristically meek. "I didn't mean to..."

"...smudge the footprints that had been _clearly _labelled as vital evidence and spill that hydro... hydroxy... uh..."

"Hydroxyacelunodosetrase?"

"Yes, that... all over the victim."

"I'm sorry, sir", Ema tried again. "It's just that I'm having a rough time right now."

"Look, Skye." The Chief sighed. "I'm sorry about the Justice kid. I knew you two were close. But you still have a job to do, and you've ruined this case." He sighed again. "I'm sorry, but I will have to suspend you for this."

If Ema felt any emotions, she hid them well when she spoke. "Very well, Chief Detective." She turned and left his office.

* * *

"Hey, Apollo." Ema had visited Apollo's grave practically every day since the funeral. Mostly for sentimental reasons, but today she just needed someone to vent to. Someone who wouldn't judge her.

"*sigh* You would not believe the day I've been having. For the third time this week, I've ruined evidence. I'm not sure how I'm ever going to look the fop in the eye again after this one. _*MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH*_"

A few people gave Ema a disapproving glance. After all, you're probably not supposed to eat Snackoos at a cemetery. She shot them the evil eye back before turning back to the grave. "Sorry about that. Some people just don't understand Snackoos. So where was I? Oh yeah, the evidence. I smudged some footprints and spilled hydroxyacelunodosetrase on a victim." She chuckled sadly. "Remember how much we laughed about how you never managed to pronounce 'hydroxyacelunodosetrase' right?"

Ema sniffled. A few stray tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I... God, I miss you, Apollo. It's like you were my only real friend. I mean, don't get me wrong, Trucy and Mr. Wright are still really great people and while it pains me to admit it, the fop isn't half bad either..." She chuckled sadly. "...but don't you _dare _tell him I said that!"

"I wasn't always like this, you know", Ema said softly. "I'm sorry I never told you about this before, but I got caught up in my sister's whirlwind of a case. I think it affected all of us, scientifically speaking. I used to be a more science-oriented version of Trucy." She smiled briefly, reminiscing upon better times. "And I wish I had known more about you. It would have been nice to know a little more about the man behind the spikes."

She sighed. "Well, I have to go. I'll be back tomorrow. It's not like I have anything better to do right now. I got suspended for that hiccup with the evidence." Some more tears spilled. "This is all your fault, you know. You big jerk. You just had to up and die on me." Her tears were now flowing freely, and she did little to prevent them. "I'm sorry, Apollo. God, I'm sorry. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, much less you. If I could, I'd pull you back to life in a heartbeat, at all costs."

As she turned to leave, Ema hesitated. The final words that came out of her mouth were hesitant, as if she was struggling to say them. "But I guess sometimes... science just doesn't cut it."

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**Author's note: ****Well, that came out a whole lot stranger than I had intended it to.**

**I'm trying to vary the timeframes, locations and circumstances of every character's story, so we don't just get twenty chapters of everybody doing the exact same thing for the exact same reason.**

**Also, I'm going to try to update more frequently.**


	4. The Better Place (The Judge)

**Chapter Four: The Better Place (The Judge)**

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_Time__: A few days after Apollo's funeral_

_Location__: Judge's chambers_

* * *

Up until a little less than a month ago, the elderly, bearded gentleman would have relished a trial at a healthy volume level.

If you asked him today, he probably would answer the exact opposite.

The judge was no stranger to loud voices. After all, he had reared a family of his own, and he had grandchildren. Not to mention that the typical defense attorneys and prosecutors weren't very quiet, with their constant yells of "Objection!" hollered back and forth. But the late young Apollo Justice had been in a league of his own.

Today was another trial like any other, with Phoenix Wright at the defense's bench. Right now, court was in recess for twenty minutes, as Winston Payne was trying (and failing) to keep the blame on the defendant instead of the witness, whom Mr. Wright had expertly implicated as the true culprit. Maybe Payne would pull through, but the judge doubted it. Wright had an uncanny way of seeing the truth. If he indicated that Whit Ness was guilty, then Whit Ness was probably guilty.

The judge couldn't help but notice that the defense attorney was decidedly less enthusiastic than usual, as was his daughter who was serving as his co-counsel for the day. He sighed. _The poor man._ The judge knew that Apollo Justice was as good as a son to Wright. He knew that if one of his children had been taken from him, he would have been devastated. Not to mention Justice had just been buried. And yet Wright was still fighting tooth and nail for his clients. _That is an admirable trait, _the judge mused.

The judge allowed himself a brief moment to reflect upon when he had first met the defense attorney. He had been surprised, of course, as he had been expecting Kristoph Gavin alone. Instead, he had brought a greenhorn with him. The judge didn't know what to think at the time; he wasn't sure what stood out more, the excessively loud voice or the crazy hair. Still, he did feel a slight twinge of envy every time he looked at that hair. The judge himself hadn't had any hair for the past thirty years.

Slowly, but surely, Justice had begun to prove himself, though, even though he had needed some guidance at first. _Then again, who didn't? _That eyesight of his was something else. The judge still had no idea how it worked. And sure, maybe he was a bit less respectful towards his elders than he should be, but he was, after all, young, and his concern for his clients was the genuine article.

The judge felt a twinge of sadness. It was true; at some point, he had begun considering the young attorney a friend of sorts. A very loud friend with an ego to match and about one third his age, yes, but a friend nonetheless. _And he had just found love_, he thought sadly. The judge was not a blind man. He had, after all, fallen in love himself once, and seen it happen to his children. He had had a hunch about what was going on between Justice and Cykes long before even they had suspected it. He had discussed it, and exchanged several chuckles about it, with Wright on a few occasions over lunch. From what he had heard, Cykes had taken a leave of absence after the funeral, saying she needed some time to think things over. He hadn't seen her since. _I hope she's alright, _the judge thought.

There was a knock on the door and it creaked open. "Your Honor?" A bailiff peaked into the room. "It's almost time to reconvene."

The judge nodded, and with a short sigh, rose to return to the courtroom. Then pain exploded in his chest. Every breath felt like his chest was constricted with iron bands, and darkness was eating at the corner of his eyes. He fell to his knees, and his eyes widened. _It can't be..._

Then he collapsed on the floor. He heard footsteps, heard the bailiff screaming for someone to call an ambulance, and the last thing he heard was the bailiff's plea for him to stay with him, just stay with him...

* * *

**_A few weeks later_**

It was a clear, sunny, beautiful day.

The two small children held their mother's hands as their uncle lowered the urn into the grave. Their granduncle was hugging their crying grandmother.

"Mommy?" the girl piped up. "Where did you say grandpa went?"

Ariel Chambers forced a smile at her daughter. "To a better place, sweetie", she said through the lump in her throat. "To a better place."

Turning from the grave, Aaron put an arm around Ariel. The ceremony was over. The family left silently, leaving the white marble gravestone behind them.

**His Honor**

**Justus Chambers**

**1953-2028**

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**Author's note: I'm sorry! *dives for cover***

**This wasn't what I had in mind when I started writing this chapter. It just came to me, and I decided to fly with it.**

**Also, not-quite-so-random family name. I haven't played through Turnabout Substitution.**

**Well, that's it for now.**


	5. Payne of Old Age (Winston Payne)

**Chapter Five: Payne of Old Age (Winston Payne)**

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_Time__: About a month after Apollo's funeral_

_Location: District Court, Courtroom no 4_

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"...hereby find the defendant... _Not Guilty._"

The audience was cheering for the defense. As usual. A seemingly never-ending stream of confetti rained down over the defendant, while the witness and actual culprit, Diddy Dooitt, was hauled away screaming for blood; that seemed to be a recurring theme with the trials he prosecuted.

Winston Payne could do nothing but admit defeat as His Honor Arthur Chambers, younger brother of the late Justus Chambers, slammed his gavel. Another defeat. Sometimes he didn't really know why he kept doing what he did.

Payne wasn't known for being a sociable man (which may have contributed to people's general inability to remember his name), and only a handful of people knew that the confident front he put up was just a mask for his deep insecurity. He wasn't blind; he knew that he was inept at best as a prosecutor, and his glory days were long gone.

On his way out of the courtroom, Payne sighed to himself. _This is the eighth loss this month, _he thought. _This is going to look really bad on my evaluation. Which haven't been that good before this either. _Unlike his somewhat more successful younger brother, Winston had always retained a sense of fair play; he had never succumbed to the desire to forge evidence.

Winston checked his pocket watch. 12:15. He had an hour of lunch, but his appetite was somewhat dwindling these days. He was going to use this time for a more personal errand.

* * *

The aging prosecutor mournfully placed the wreath of roses on the grave, as he had done on this specific date every year for the past five years. Two names were written on the stone. "Gretchen Payne" and "Rebecca Payne". His wife and daughter. On this very day, five years ago, as they were heading home from the grocery store, they had been rammed by a drunk driver. When medical personnel arrived, Gretchen was declared dead on arrival. Rebecca had survived for a few more hours, but died in the hospital later.

As he turned to leave, he saw a familiar sight in the distance. There was no mistaking that hair. _Wright?_

It was Wright alright, and he was carrying some flowers with him. There was no doubt in Payne's mind as to where Wright's destination was. _Mia Fey and Apollo Justice._

Payne hadn't really been all that familiar with Justice. He had prosecuted (and lost) a few trials against him, and the closest they had been to actual conversaton was when they had been on that bus together and attempted small talk, but couldn't quite figure out what to say to each other. Even so, he had been saddened when he heard of his death. He wouldn't have wished it on anyone.

A quote from an old movie came to Winston's mind. _The young perish, and the old linger. _How very true it was. In all fairness, he should have been the one resting here. But fairness is a quite rare thing. He sighed. Right now, he was truly feeling his age. His surname seemed a lot more appropriate to him right now.

He glanced at his watch again. 13:00. It was time to return to the courtroom. With one last look over his shoulder at his family's grave, and a quick glance in the general direction of Apollo's, he left to go back to his life.

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**Author's note:****Sorry for the über-delayed update. School has been keeping me busy, and probably will continue to do so for the next two weeks until this semester is through.**

**Payne is pretty difficult to write for, but I wanted to establish some backstory for him. Hence the Payne-centric narrative.**

**Also, overused title pun is overused. :3 It was the best I could come up with.**


	6. Then There Was Silence (Juniper Woods)

**Chapter Six: Then There Was Silence (Juniper Woods)**

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**Disclaimer: This chapter contains references to excessive drinking. If this subject matter bothers you, please discontinue reading the chapter.**

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_Time__: Six weeks after the funeral_

_Location: Palazzo Paradiso 35 _

* * *

The apartment at Palazzo Paradiso was almost completely silent, with only the sobs and occasional hiccoughs betraying any signs of life within.

It hadn't always been like this. Not long ago, the area was permeated by her singing. She would always sing, sometimes to express her happiness, and sometimes to vent frustrations.

She had tried everything. Therapy, counselling, even shock treatment. Nothing could help her. There was only one thing that could. These days, Juniper Woods had found another, much more effective and destructive outlet.

It had started small. She would come home from a busy day in court, and pour herself a glass of wine to relax and recover from the horrible memories of that day that always seemed to overwhelm her when she came to the courtroom. That one glass became several glasses, then forgoing the glass to drink straight from the bottle; and before long, as her system got used to the wine and made it less effective, every night saw her drinking steadily increasing amounts of hard liquor.

Robin and Hugh hadn't seen the signs at first. Still, Juniper always was good at hiding her feelings. But when they came to her apartment unannounced one evening and found her in a drunken stupor, they had eventually managed to coax the truth out of her, and persuaded her to take another job, far away from the courthouse. But by then, Juniper was too far gone.

* * *

The apartment, which Juniper would always keep meticulously cleaned, was a complete mess. The living room was in the worst shape. Several empty bottles of various liquors cluttered the floor, and in the middle of it all lay Juniper Woods, and with her eyes shut tight and her hands over her ears, as if she was trying to keep the world out. Or to keep her out of her own head. The warmth of the liquor in her stomach did little to soothe the chills running through her.

While the rest of the world may have been hazy, the images inside her head were as clear and dreadful as the day she had lived them. _The scent of blood in the room. The sound of the wind blowing through the ruins of the courtroom and Apollo's strained breathing. And that wound on Apollo's head. _Juniper squealed as the memories overcame her.

If she had had anyone to call on for help, she would have. But Thena was gone, and nobody knew where. No matter how many tried Juniper tried to reach her, she wouldn't pick up her cell phone or answer her e-mails. Robin and Hugh were away on a convention. Mr. Wright and Trucy had enough to cope with without her intruding on them. And Apollo was gone forever.

A little voice began nagging at Juniper. _Your fault_, it said in a sing-song voice. _Your fault. Your fault. Your fault._ It was rising in pitch and volume._ Your fault. Your fault. Your fault._

"Shut up", Juniper mumbled tearfully. "Go away."

The voice did not. _Your fault. Your fault. Your fault. Your fault._

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Juniper screamed, and before she even knew what she was doing, she ran.

* * *

When Juniper's brain reclaimed higher function, she noticed that she was up on the rooftop. Standing on the very edge, she peered out.

The fact that she was on the roof of an eight-story building didn't bother Juniper at all. She had never had any trouble with heights. In fact, she welcomed it; she relished the wind in her face. It did nothing to soothe the voice, however.

_Your fault. _She had cried out, shouted herself hoarse, cursed everyone she could think about. God. The world. Herself.

_Your fault. _This wasn't the first time she had been up here since the incident. But her resolve would always falter. But maybe, just maybe, tonight would be the night...

_Your fault. _"Yes." Did she say it? Or did she just think it? She didn't know. It didn't matter to her.

_Your fault. _Juniper closed her eyes. She drew a long, deep, trembling breath, filling her lungs for the last time with the cold, sweet night air.

_Your fault. _One step. All it would take would be one more step. One final step...

...and then there was silence.

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**Author's note:**** Well, this is about the most dismal chapter I have planned for this story. I'm going to try to make the next chapters a little more uplifting.**


	7. Harsh Reality (Wocky Kitaki)

**Chapter Seven: Harsh Reality (Wocky Kitaki)**

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_Time__: A day after Apollo's death_

_Location__: Kitaki Mansion_

* * *

The young fox-faced mobster heir was sitting on his bed, staring at his wall. He had been doing this for some time now. While it concerned his mother to no end, his father knew that he had to go through this.

Wocky wasn't a stranger to death. Throughout his childhood, many of his father's... er... accomplices... had met their end carrying out the boss's orders. And while Big Wins pretended to be indifferent, Wocky always knew how much he was hurting over sending someone to their death. Of course, at the time, Wocky had always dismissed it as a sign of weakness. _A real O.G. don't care about that, man!_

Then came Wocky's first tangle with death, when he was shot by the Rivales family. Looking back, it all seemed so stupid. Running in by himself 15 minutes before the appointed time... what was he thinking? But hey, at least he met his soulmate at the hospital.

And then, six months later, he found himself in custody all of a sudden, suspected for a crime he didn't commit. And then during the trial, he was told that the bullet from the Rivales thing was still in his chest. And then that pointy-headed idiot of a lawyer had to implicate his little imposter, of all things. How the heck could he even suspect Alita of doing something like that? But somehow, he was right. Wocky had been furious for a good year.

When his trial was over, Big Wins shipped him off to some strange hospital... it was called Caduceus or something strange like that. The attending surgeon, one Dr. Derek Stiles, was awkward, but his great reputation proved not to be for show as he pulled the bullet out of Wocky's chest with no trouble at all. Big Wins had thanked him overbearingly, while Wocky had muttered a 'Thanks, G', and hoped that the doc's hot nurse girlfriend (as adamantly as they denied it) wouldn't become guilty of murder any time soon.

And so Wocky had continued his life. He took up work in his father's pie shop, where his O.G. Cracker was a pretty major success (although not quite as successful as his father's lime pie). In time, the lawyers from the agency that got him acquitted began to frequent the place, and a friendship of sorts was born. Of course, Wocky had no intention to bake pies forever. One day, he would run the yard, and then everyone would know what time it was. Represent!

...that is, until only the day before, when the Pointy-Locks lawyer was murdered.

The murder of Apollo Justice had shocked Wocky to the core. His friend (of sorts) was gone. Gone forever. Since then, he had simply sat on his bed, staring at his wall. Little Plum was going out of her mind with worry, but Big Wins had simply put a hand on his son's shoulder and said that he would be there when Wocky was ready to talk.

Wocky rose from his bed and left his room. He needed to talk to someone.

* * *

He knocked on the grand oak doors of the boss's office. "Enter", came the deep voice of his father.

Wocky did so, somewhat hesitantly. "Dad? You got a minute?"

Big Wins was slightly surprised to see his son, who virtually never came to his office. But he hid it well. "Sure, Wocky. What can I do for you?"

Wocky took a seat across from his father's mahogany desk. He sat there, looking at his hands for a bit, not knowing what to say.

Big Wins had a feeling what was eating at his son, but refrained from bringing it up. It was better if Wocky started it.

"It's not fair", he suddenly blurted out.

"What isn't?" Big Wins asked.

"What happened to him." Big Wins didn't have to ask what it was; he knew it was about Justice. "Why did he have to die? I don't understand!"

"Wocky", his father interrupted. "There are some things you need to understand. The men I sent to their deaths did so willingly, but it didn't hurt any less. And they were prepared for the possibility of them dying."

"Yeah, but..."

"That's part of the reason why I decided to go legitimate. That, and what happened to you. I could turn a blind eye towards people dying as long as they weren't close to me, as much as it hurt, but you are my only son. When someone you care about dies, or gets close to, it really hits home. You get me?"

"Yeah", Wocky said, then voiced his primary concern. "But Pointy... Apollo didn't do anything wrong! He was just fighting for his client, and then he died! Why?!"

"Son", Big Wins said, straight to the point. "People die for a lot of different reasons. Some choose to end it. Some die naturally. Some die at the behest of others. And some, like Apollo, die simply because they're at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's not fair, but that's how life works."

"Yeah." Wocky's voice was barely above a whisper. "I think I understand now. Why you went legit and why you kept telling me I didn't know. I think I'll be fine now."

Big Wins nodded, and in a rare gesture, got up from behind his desk and pulled his son into a tight, bone-cracking hug. "It'll take some time, but I'll be there to help you recover." He let his son go. "Now what do you say we get down to business? I feel it's time to refresh the pie selection at the shop. Got any ideas?"

For the first time since the day before, Wocky cracked a tentative smile. "Yeah, I just may have a few..."

Maybe baking pies forever wasn't such a bad thing after all.

* * *

**Author's note****:**

**Alright, this came up a lot slower than expected. Sorry about that. I'm back on track now, and I'll try to crank out a new chapter every few days or so.**

**And yes, I do enjoy my references from time to time. ^^**


	8. Still Life (Vera Misham)

**Before we begin, I'd like to thank Ari Moriarty for helpfully pointing out a clause in the guidelines I missed (hence the slightly changed layout).**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Still Life (Vera Misham)**

* * *

_Time__: The day of Apollo's funeral_

_Location__: Drew Studio_

* * *

_Death makes an artist. _Vera Misham didn't know where the phrase had come from, but she knew it was true.

As she finished her signature on the painting, she stepped back to assess her work. It was very dark and dismal. A screaming young man being torn to bits by three naked, deformed human-like beings with their lower jaws hanging down on their chests and menacing knife blades instead of fingers on their left hands. To her left stood a picture of a naked, bald man with chains wrapped around his body, wounds on his chest and legs, his empty eye sockets bulging and his mouth open wide in an anguished cry. And finally, behind her was a painting of a being clad in metal, its head split down the middle, teeth lining the inside of the opening and a single eye, as well as a long, crude sword dripping with blood replacing its left forearm. It gave her the shivers just to think about that one.

She sighed and put her brush down. Her paintings just got more and more dismal by the day. She thought about Apollo for a second and an unannounced chuckle came to her lips as she thought of how all color would drain from his face and he'd run screaming from the room at the sight of the painting. The chuckle died quickly when she thought about how he had met his demise.

She knew he'd be disappointed if he could see her. After her trial, poisoning and subsequent recovery, he and Trucy had swung by the studio every few days to try to get her out of her shell. Little by little, it had worked.

They had started out small, just getting her to step out of her house to smell the flowers and get used to the hustle and bustle of people on the street. It hadn't been a quick process, but it had worked, gradually, and she had graduated from never leaving her house at all to actually being able to go do her own grocery shopping with no help; a small achievement for anyone else, but a giant leap for Vera.

She had experienced what she thought was her first crush, on Apollo. But after she finally got him to kiss her, she noticed the lack of spark in it and they both knew they weren't right for each other. She concluded it must have been because she saw Apollo all the time. Still, thanks to Apollo and Trucy, she was almost able to function in society.

And now one of her supporting figures was gone for good; this had caused an almost immediate regression into her antisocial state. Trucy, prosecutor Gavin and even Mr. Wright still tried to get her out, and Vera would oblige simply to please them, but she had no desire to leave her home any longer.

This had continued for several days, and maybe she would have regressed completely to her old self had she not received a phone call from one Spark Brushel. All it had taken was one sentence - "'Famous artist misses best friend's funeral', end quote." - and she knew. She couldn't let Apollo's hard work be in vain. It was time to live, for him.

She hurriedly dug out her formal dress, one that her father had got for her before he died. It was one of her few clothes that weren't splattered with paint. She had never worn it, but there's a first time for everything, right?

When Trucy called her and told her she'd give Apollo Vera's best, Vera told her she was ready to come along. There was just one thing she needed to do first.

* * *

The dismal, horrendous monster paintings peered up at Vera as she slammed the lid of the dumpster shut over them.

_Death makes an artist._ But it doesn't have to define the artist.

* * *

**Author's note****:**

**The introductory quote, "Death makes an artist", is the translated title of one of my favorite Nightwish songs, "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan". It seemed somewhat appropriate for the situation.**

**Anyone else love what I'm referencing as much as I do? :3**


	9. I Meant It (Kristoph Gavin)

**Chapter Nine: I Meant It (Kristoph Gavin)**

* * *

_Time__: Five days after Apollo's death_

_Location__: Prison yard_

* * *

For his last visit to his brother, Klavier was understandably emotional. Understandably, but what a weak fool he was. Kristoph had never cared much for emotion before prison, and while in prison, he had discarded it entirely. Or so he thought.

But now, standing on the platform, staring at a faceless crowd in the prison yard while the executioner slid a noose over his neck, Kristoph Gavin felt a single tear slide down his cheek.

It wasn't for fear of death. He had known that this day would come for quite some time now. It wasn't for his brother's grief. For God's sake, the man was mourning a convicted killer on death row. As far as Kristoph was concerned, his end could not come too soon, and good riddance too. No, the tear was for the boy.

_Justice. _Why did Kristoph even care about him? After all, Justice had sided with Wright. Justice had _betrayed _him. Betrayed the _law_. By all rights, Kristoph shouldn't care about him at all. Should not care at all that he was dead. So why did he?

Kristoph shook his head as another tear fell. _Simpleton. _The reason was obvious; deep down, he still cared for his protégé, the boy he had trained to become a successful lawyer. Memories of Justice's time at the Gavin Law Offices began to surface...

* * *

_When Kristoph answered the door, the young man who had rung was almost in tears. "Please, sir, you have to help me!" he managed to utter. "All other law offices I've been to have turned me down. You're my last hope as a lawyer!" Kristoph hadn't known why the other offices would turn him down at the time - although he suspected the hair - and while he generally adhered to a strict standard for his protégés, the young Apollo's earnestness took him aback, and he agreed to give the boy a chance._

Another tear fell...

_ As Kristoph packed up and prepared to go home after a particularly long day, he noticed that his gigantic stack of paperwork had disappeared. He later discovered it neatly filed in his filing cabinet, next to a snoring Apollo who had collapsed on the floor next to the cabinet. An amused smile played on his lips as he lifted Apollo up onto the couch before leaving._

...and another...

_Kristoph had, of course, enquired as to why Apollo so feverishly pursued lawyering. It turned out that it had nothing to do with money or fame, like most attorneys these days; it was a matter of hero worship. He wanted to clear the name of Phoenix Wright. At the mention of that accursed name, Kristoph almost frowned, but managed to keep his poker face._

...and another...

_On the day before Apollo's first trial, Kristoph had decided to reward his student for his hard work. They had gone to a restaurant and enjoyed a delicious meal, before visiting the Wonder Bar to view a magic show. The magician girl's name was Wright. Of course, Kristoph had had an ulterior motive. She was suspiciously similar to Gramarye's daughter. Still, he put on an amused face for Apollo. Still, before they parted, Kristoph gave his protégé one of his rare, honest smiles and told him that he was proud of him. And he meant it._

...until at last, they came no more. The official read his charges monotonously, and the executioner put his hand on the lever.

Kristoph saw his brother's face in the audience. He looked like he had wept again. Kristoph tried to catch his eye, but Klavier remained fixated upon the crossbeam of the gallows.

An order was shouted. The lever was pulled, and then the floor disappeared underneath Kristoph's feet. During the short, stomach-churning drop, he had time to think three words. _I meant it._

Then the rope pulled taut, there was a sickening crack, and then nothingness.

* * *

**Author's note****:**

**I'm sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Kristoph was pretty difficult to write for, and maybe I'm humanizing my Big Bads a little too much here. What do you think?**


	10. Dark Side of the Moon (Solomon Starbuck)

**Chapter Ten: The Dark Side of the Moon (Solomon Starbuck)**

* * *

_Time: A year after Apollo's death_

_Location: Mars_

* * *

_"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaangh..."_

The astronaut's sigh was long and deep, but it was one of relief. He looked back towards the small blue orb that was Earth. _I made it._

The HAT-3 mission, to be the first to put an astronaut on Mars, had been a success so far, although Solomon Starbuck had been less than optimistic about it. Not only because he had yet to get over his astrophobia completely (although the therapy Assistant Director Cosmos had insisted he take had worked somewhat), but also because of the memories it dragged up.

The HAT-1 launch hadn't exactly been a resounding success, to phrase it lightly. Solomon had been forced to resort to some unorthodox measures to survive that trip, and they had lost their chief psychologist to a murderer who had, at the time, been believed to be Simon Blackquill. After all that, he had been a bit apprehensive to return to space, but also anxious to. He wasn't going to let anything stop him. Particularly with the appearance of the two young boys who had shown up on the site.

Clay Terran was always the more adventurous and impetuous of the boys, and he had almost immediately tried to connect to Solomon. At first, he had good-naturedly taken on Clay as his "protegé" just to humor him, but when the boy's passion for space started to really show, he really began to see him as his protegé. When Clay turned 18, Solomon nominated him for astronaut training, and it had all been smooth sailing since.

Apollo Justice was a bit more reserved, but more than made up for it with his loudness. While he would tag along with Clay on whatever they were doing, he was sometimes more interested in reading and studying law. The only thing that could match Clay's passion for space was Apollo's passion for law.

And then came the HAT-2 launch, and both of them were taken from him. Not that he remembered much of the actual event; getting drugged can do that to you.

Before he knew it, he was sitting in the Detention Center on suspicion of stabbing and killing Clay. Not an hour after his arrest had been made official, Apollo barged in and asked to defend him. Of course, he had accepted. Although he hadn't been excited about it. He had had a bad feeling about the whole thing. Turns out his intuition was right.

On the day of his trial, Apollo had done a sterling job as usual. And then the trial was interrupted by a bomb.

A small tear started to form in Solomon's eye.

He hadn't heard about it until after that bomb technician had been incarcerated. And at first, he had refused to believe it. But when Metis' daughter came with a new guy, both of them obviously hiding their devastation behind hundred-watt smiles, Solomon knew. Apollo had passed on.

* * *

"Hey, Sol? Earth... or whatever... to Sol!"

Solomon was shaken out of his reverie by his partner.

"Sorry, man", Solomon said with a slightly sheepish grin. "Just... thinking."

"Yeah? Well, we have some samples to collect, so get your mind out of the space clouds!" said his partner with a good-natured smile.

"Alright", Solomon smiled back.

He bent over to pick up a rock. It looked fairly ordinary. As he straightened up, he saw the Earth. He smiled sadly.

_I guess it's still a while until I get to see you again, guys. Don't worry, though. We'll meet again on the dark side of the moon._

And then he sighed.

And then he started.

Maybe he was imagining things, but he could swear he had heard someone saying "You're fine!" somewhere.

And he smiled. Serenely.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Wow, half a year since I updated. I'm very, very sorry.**

**I had a bit of a hard time finding a good concept for this chapter, and school has kept me busy. I'm currently working on my degree project, which does take up a lot of my time. For this reason, I can't really promise that I'll update more regularly, but I'll try.**

**Anyway, sorry for not updating in so long. If you guys have been holding on to this story for this long, you're all troopers.**


	11. Which Star Are You? (Aura Blackquill)

**Chapter Eleven: Which Star Are You? (Aura Blackquill)**

* * *

_Time__: Two days after Apollo's funeral_

_Location__: State penitentiary_

* * *

Simon had always said that the view of the stars was beautiful even behind bars.

Aura hadn't believed him until she saw it for herself.

After Athena had been arrested for the murder of Clay Terran, Aura had finally seen her chance to get some justice for the murder of Athena's mother, Dr. Metis Cykes, which she had always blamed on Athena. With some... eh... coercion using some of the visitors at the Space Center, Aura managed to have the case, the UR-1 Incident, reopened and the true culprit had been found and apprehended.

Her little brother had been exonerated, with the smallest possible margin to boot.

And yet...

Something was missing. The victory wasn't as sweet as it could have been, and not only because Aura had been put in jail for kidnapping.

There were very few people on the planet Aura didn't outright loathe. Three of them were her brother, Clay Terran and Apollo Justice. And two of them had been taken away from her prematurely, and permanently.

Aura had to stifle a tear thinking about them. Apollo and Clay had been all but fixtures at the Space Center around the time. She remembered how they used to run around among the exhibits like a minor hurricane, knocking everything over in the process. At one point, they had knocked over Clonco, who had fallen a considerable distance. While Yuri Cosmos was generally remarkably patient with their antics, he did send them to apologize to Aura on this occasion.

She had to suppress a laugh at that memory. No doubt the boys had been spoon-fed stories from the crew about the scary Miss Aura, and when she opened her door after hearing a faint knocking, the pair looked like they were just about to bolt. And although Aura wasn't used to dealing with children, she thought the boys were pleasant enough, once she had managed to convince them that she wasn't going to murder them; the damage done to Clonco was only superficial, wouldn't affect any software, and was easily reparable.

Since then, a friendship of sorts had begun. She would tell the boys stories about how she came to work at the facilities, robots she had built, and her weird, Japan-obsessed little brother. The boys were there for her when Metis had died (although Apollo never seemed to have brought it up at the law office, for some reason), giving her hugs and assuring her that she would be fine. And she felt like she would have been.

And now, Apollo was gone too. Done in by some crazy bomber. Didn't this just demonstrate all to clearly that humans weren't trustworthy? It was probably for the best that Tonate was in heavily guarded solitary confinement, because he would be in for some "the end justifies the means" otherwise.

It was an unusually subdued Phoenix Wright who had headed Aura's defense, with Simon prosecuting, of course. While Simon was all for pushing for the maximum sentence, Wright had successfully argued that nobody had actually been harmed, no lasting damage had been done, and the crime was spur of the moment. As such, the judge had given her a twelve-month sentence.

She had been very surprised when the chief prosecutor himself had granted her permission to attend Apollo's funeral. She had been saddened at the prospect of missing it, but her little brother came first. She was grateful to Edgeworth for that.

Aura sighed and looked out at the night sky through the window bars. There were no clouds in sight, and the sky was littered with stars. "Which one are you, Apollo?" she muttered to herself. "And which one is Clay? Which one will I become? And will I see you again?"

Aura sighed again. She knew that she had a lot of peace to make, both with her brother and with the princess. And while she wasn't exactly thrilled about it, she knew that she had to do it for Apollo's sake. She owed him that much.

And if that was what it would take to be fine, she would do it.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Sorry for not updating as frequently as I probably should have. I've been working my tukhus off with my bachelor's thesis, which I am happy to say is just about done. I will graduate in early June. :3**

**Also, I have decided to shorten this story to fifteen chapters as opposed to twenty. The remaining characters will be the most pertinent ones.**

**On another note, I appear to have passed 2500 views on this story. That is awesome. :D Thanks to everybody who reads and reviews this fiction, it means a lot to me.**


	12. Light Has No Meaning (Lamiroir)

**Chapter Twelve: Light Has No Meaning (Lamiroir)**

* * *

_Time__: Five years after Apollo's funeral_

_Location__: Sunshine Coliseum_

* * *

_The word "light" has no meaning for Lamiroir._

How very true those words were now.

Lamiroir remembered that she had said that to her child, her beautiful baby boy, during that fateful encounter. Of course, neither of them had known that at the time.

And now, it would be unsaid forever.

* * *

It had been five years since the singer's last appearance, so when her manager, Adrian Andrews, announced that she would perform a concert at the Sunshine Coliseum, they sold out quickly.

Out on the stage, Lamiroir took a deep breath, glanced back towards Machi and Klavier Gavin and began to sing the song she had perfected for her baby boy.

_"It's been five years to the day and_

_My tainted blood remains the same"_

While singing, memories from Lamiroir's past life came to her, unsolicited, unwanted, yet still forcing themselves on her.

Her life as Thalassa Gramarye, a touring performer.

The courtship of her first husband, who managed to coax her out of her troupe, something her father had never quite gotten over. Their marriage was short and unceremonial, only attended by a select few witnesses. And before long, she had been pregnant.

She had given birth to a baby boy. A beautiful baby boy, but with a curiously bright, almost focused gaze; a gaze she had been told by her father, the great Magnifi, that she had also had as a baby.

The tragic death of her husband in a stage-related incident. Apparently, the lighting rig had been faulty and came down on him, killing him immediately.

Her father's condition to let her return to the troupe: to abandon her baby boy. She had done so, grudgingly, but not before giving him one of her bracelets.

And finally, that fateful rehearsal. A slight tweak to a tried and trusted routine. And everything had gone horribly, horribly wrong, and she had woken up in a world of darkness.

How confused she had been when she found herself in the whirlwind of a case involving her manager's murder. But Apollo's way of... perceiving... her statements was curious indeed. It had sparked something deep in her, a tiny ember of recollection. She remembered this ability, that someone close to her had been able to use it... but who?

With the resolution of the case came a resolve in Lamiroir. Apollo's perception had inspired the courage in her to brave the harsh light and have an eye operation.

And then Mr. Wright dropped the bomb on her; that the boy she had met in court was, in fact, her beautiful baby boy. Oh, how she could burst to reveal this fact to him... but she had had no right to be his mother now. She had promised herself to make it up to him.

...But she never had the chance.

* * *

_"I'm so lonely without baby's love"_

The dulcet tones of Machi's piano blended with Klavier's guitar. Klavier played with a sincerity she had never seen before; then again, Apollo had apparently been a friend of his.

_"I want you to know I'd die for one more moment"_

She had never spoken a more truthful sentence in her life. She would give anything to take his place.

_"I'm just a poor girl, afraid of this cruel world"_

As she closed her eyes, they were burning with tears.

_"Taken away from it all"_

With that, the song ended, and met with thunderous applause from the audience. She could see a number of audience members drying their eyes. Trucy and Phoenix in the front row, holding hands and fighting tears. As she glanced back, she saw Klavier drying his eyes while Machi stubbornly stared down at his piano. Behind her, Ms. Andrews gave her a tearful thumbs up.

Lamiroir faced the audience again and forced a tearful smile. The bright stage lights did nothing to brighten her mood.

For the word "light" has no meaning for Lamiroir.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Again, I'm very sorry for not updating as often as I should have. If you're still following this story, I salute you.**

**So anyway, the song Lamiroir sings is an excerpt from the section "Goodnight Kiss" from Dream Theater's song Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.**

**I'll try not to take so long with the last few chapters. As usual, thanks for reading, and review if you feel like it. **


	13. Turnabout Matrimony (Simon Blackquill)

**Chapter Thirteen: Turnabout Matrimony (Simon Blackquill)**

* * *

_Time__: Seven years after Apollo's funeral_

_Location: Hazakura Temple_

* * *

The fresh mountain air, crisp from a light snowfall, drifted into the Hazakura Temple main hall, adding a physical chill to the atmosphere and the small congregation gathered therein.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..." The portly head nun's voice rang out in the hall where she presided in front of the gigantic magatama, despite standing barely tall enough to peer over the podium from which she addressed the solemn gathering. He knew that Bikini-dono was getting on in years, and that her back problems had not improved (she was now prone to attacks of violent pain during the summer as well), but she hadn't as much as hesitated in agreeing to officiate the ceremony.

"...to join these two souls together in holy matrimony."

Simon Blackquill steadied himself and snuck a quick glance to his right. The woman beside him was an apparition, an angelic form, garbed in the white kimono that was the customary Japanese wedding dress, and with a _tsunokakushi_ headgearthroning on top of her intricately styled blazing red hair.

Athena Cykes noticed his glance and returned it. She gave him a quick, reassuring smile.

Resisting the urge to wipe his suddenly sweaty hands on his black _hakama, _Simon shifted his gaze forward again towards the elderly nun.

"Do you, Simon Tsuyoshi Blackquill, take this woman..."

* * *

_When Simon first had received the news of Justice-dono's assault, he had refused to believe it. Surely the boy should still be in the hospital? But no, the foolish whelp had jumped straight back into action, despite having suffered injuries from the explosion in Courtroom 4._

_At the end of the day, he had learned that Wright-dono had proven that the culprit in the case was, in fact, Ted Tonate, the police bomb technician. Not that he was overly surprised. Both Payne brothers had a long-standing reputation of bringing in the actual culprit as their main witness, and apparently, Gaspen hadn't seen fit to change that policy._

_Having learned from Athena that Justice-dono was in a stable condition, he had decided to swing by the hospital to see him. However, he had arrived to a flurry of nurses running in and out of the room with various forms of equipment, and upon entering, he had seen in Athena's eyes that things might not be as rosy as she had initially reported. He had quietly asked her about it, but he got no answer._

_Then the doctors shooed almost everybody out. He could do nothing but wait with the others in the lobby - the tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a blade - and when he heard Athena's anguished cry, and he knew._

* * *

_Simon had forgotten how it felt to walk unchained._

_Now that he was a free man, and the bastard who had murdered both his mentor and Clay Terran was within reach, he, Athena and Wright-dono had wasted little time in bringing down the blackguard responsible for not only those two deaths, but also Justice-dono._

_As the phantom was brought away, Simon noticed that the vindictive, savage pleasure he expected to feel wasn't there. Neither was it readily apparent in the faces of his adversaries. Apparently, they had come to the same conclusion as he - that the phantom's sentence wouldn't bring back the young attorney._

* * *

_ After Justice-dono's funeral, Athena had taken a leave of absence and left America. She didn't tell him where she went. _

_While Simon didn't consider Justice-dono a close friend, he did regard the loud defense attorney as a comrade in arms of sorts. As such, he hadn't hesitated to accept the case against Ted Tonate._

_When the day of Tonate's trial came, he had mercilessly torn into the bastard with very little intervention from the defense - apparently, there was a third Payne brother who worked the opposite side of the courtroom, who was just as inept as the other two. Not that anyone expected otherwise, as Tonate had been proven guilty before. Before even the first recess, Tonate had been found guilty of double homicide and sentenced to death._

* * *

_Five years after Justice-dono's death, Athena had unexpectedly returned._

_Simon had been more than slightly surprised, but any attempts of his to grill Athena on her whereabouts gained him nothing. He eventually accepted that she wouldn't - or couldn't - tell him about it._

_The two of them reacquainted, first as acquaintances, then as friends. And slowly, gradually, over the course of two years, something different entirely._

_Two years of coy courtship, of uncomfortably stepping around the topic of Athena's feelings for her associate - she had insisted that their kiss was spur-of-the-moment, a show of happiness that he did, in fact, awaken, but she never quite looked him in the eye when she said it. Simon understood; it wasn't easy to lose someone you cared for, or even loved. Even though his affair with the esteemed Dr. Cykes was only that, a brief fling started by an overindulgence in sake - which the harridan he called his sister had ribbed him endlessly about (after nearly murdering him for reasons unknown to him at that time) - her murder had shaken him to the core and confused him greatly, leaving him unable to think about matters of the heart for almost the entire duration of his stay in the clink._

_But slowly, gradually, he had moved on._

_And slowly, gradually, so did Athena._

* * *

"...Athena Metis Cykes, to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, until death do you part?"

He glanced at the beautiful angel by his side. With a steady voice that belied the fact that his stomach was twisting into knots, he replied: "I do."

"Do you, Athena Metis Cykes, take this man, Simon Tsuyoshi Blackquill, to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, until death do you part?"

With a slight quaver in her voice, Athena answered the nun. "I do."

Sister Bikini smiled. "Then by the power vested in me by the Kurain Channelling School, I hereby declare you to be husband and wife." She winked at them. "I don't suppose I need to tell you what to do, do I? Wa ha ha! Ho ho ho ho!"

The hearty nun's laugh was somewhat contagious, and Simon could see no reason not to indulge in a quiet chuckle before turning to look at his bride.

She had tears in her eyes. Two years ago, these were tears of sorrow, a litany of could-have-beens that would never have been fulfilled. Now, he knew that her tears were of genuine joy.

She smiled shyly, but genuinely, and Simon knew that his expression mirrored hers as he closed the distance between them and his lips met hers in a long, slow, loving kiss.

The small crowd of assembled witnesses - Wright-dono and his wife, Trucy, Aura, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth, Klavier Gavin, Maya and Pearl Fey, and a few nuns from the neighborhood - cheered and applauded as they broke apart a few seconds - or hours - later.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Simon and Athena Cykes-Blackquill!"

He smiled at her as he led her out of the temple. Somewhere above him, he imagined a loud, grating voice calling out: "You'll be fine!"

Simon smiled slightly wider, and he noticed Athena doing the same. Spectre or no, he believed Justice-dono.

They would be fine.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Well, there's another chapter. Once again, I'm sorry for my lack of updates. My muse is apparently fickle.**

**I learned that I've been remiss in thanking you, my readers, for the time you spend reading and reviewing my stories. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. The fact that you take time to read and review means a lot to me.**

**Two more chapters to go until _Five Stages of Turnabout _is complete.**


	14. Ace Attorney (Phoenix Wright)

**Chapter Fourteen: Ace Attorney (Phoenix Wright)**

* * *

_Time__: Thirty years after Apollo's funeral_

_Location: Wright and Co. Law Offices_

* * *

If you stepped into the Wright and Co. Law Offices, you wouldn't recognize it as the Wright Anything Agency of yore.

Truth be told, Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney, had had quite a bit of time to build it up into its current state. Forty-five years, to be specific.

Phoenix had managed to keep his act together after Apollo's death just long enough to finger the true culprit of UR-1 and the murder of Clay Terran, but for the first few weeks after that, he had done little more than stare into the wall, leaving the brunt of the agency's case work to Athena; he was unable to cope with his loss. After all, what he had lost was, in fact, as good as his son. He found most of his solace in his recently re-kindled romance with Iris.

After Apollo's funeral, Phoenix slowly started to take on case work again. The publicity of the UR-1 retrial meand a sudden influx of clients to the Wright Anything Agency, and Phoenix knew he couldn't leave all that work to Athena. And he needed to focus his mind on something; while the funeral had given closure of sorts, the loss of Apollo was still too fresh.

And then, Athena had gone on that leave of absence. Phoenix didn't need her ability to sense her deeply rooted sadness, and he told her to "take the time she needed".

During the five years Athena was gone, Phoenix was still coping with both the loss of Apollo and with the seemingly never-ending supply of clients; Iris' organizational abilities as his secretary and receptionist were a lifesaver at this point. Hugh O'Conner also came to his rescue just after graduating from Themis Legal Academy, saving him from being swamped in his work. A few months later, a certain Serena Shields, the daughter of one of Edgeworth's associates, also joined the agency.

After Trucy graduated from high school, she had immediately embarked on a world tour with the Berry Big Circus, replacing Maximillion Galactica. After the tour concluded, she had decided to move out of the agency and re-form Troupe Gramarye; since there were no longer any "talents" working there, Phoenix had taken back the name "Wright and Co. Law Offices" for the firm at that point.

Phoenix and Iris' marriage three years into their courtship was a festive affair; she had been beautiful and he had been a nervous wreck, coming very close to punching Larry Butz in the face a number of times and glaring daggers into Edgeworth, who was serving as best man, for no reason at all; thankfully, Edgeworth had taken no offense, as he had been equally nervous during his marriage to Franziska von Karma. He had also discovered that Pearls had apparently not entirely outgrown her little shipping fantasy, glaring daggers at both him and Iris from her position as maid of honor during part of the ceremony while Maya looked exasperated. Nonetheless, they had been very happy to settle into matrimony, and Trucy was elated to finally have a mommy.

Soon, Iris was pregnant, and their daughter Mia had been the most beautiful baby imaginable; that is, until a year later, when her brother Apollo Wright was born.

When Athena returned, he had asked her about where she had been, but she had refused to answer. Deciding not to pursue the matter any further, he had set her to work with Hugh on a case where a baker had been murdered. They never spoke of the matter again.

The years crawled on. When more and more lawyers started to want to work for his office, and their finances increased, he decided to move the office out of the building and purchased a few floors of a high-rise building (neighboring the Prosecutor's Office, to Edgeworth's endless amusement), setting up shop there instead. He attended Athena's wedding to Blackquill, Hugh's wedding to Robin Newman, Serena's slightly more surprising wedding to Myriam Scuttlebutt, and Trucy's wedding to a face from the past, a certain Cody Hackins, who served as Trucy's PR manager.

Time marched on, and those near and dear to him changed. His children grew up and flew the coop. His wife's hair began to turn grey, which only made her more beautiful. Phoenix found himself less and less interested in casework and more interested in his new role as Ace Grandpa for both Athena's and Trucy's children. He began working more as a manager of the office, handling the administrative duties while Athena, Hugh and Serena oversaw the more rank-and-file attorneys, although his door was always open if someone needed advice, coaching, or just needed to talk.

In this way, he spent a number of years.

And finally, at the age of 64, he was ready to retire. Giving fatherly hugs to Athena and Serena and a firm handshake to Hugh, he left the office for the last time to a standing ovation from his underlings. They knew they were watching the end of a legend.

* * *

It never got any easier. He hadn't really expected it to.

Thirty years, and he still felt fresh tears sting his eyes when he visited his unofficial son's grave at the Solace Cemetery, and as he placed the flowers on the grave, the tears began to leak anew.

Still, he smiled through the tears. Apollo had lived and died an ace attorney, and Phoenix had lived an ace attorney for thirty-three years, while training new promising ace attorneys to carry on his - and Apollo's - legacy.

He gave his wife's hand a squeeze and put his arm over Trucy's shoulder as they turned to leave.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Second to last chapter! Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**The final chapter, _Five Stages of Turnabout,_ will be out soon - no prizes for guessing who's the main character for that one, huh? ;)**


	15. Five Stages of Turnabout (Athena Cykes)

**Chapter Fifteen: Five Stages of Turnabout (Athena Cykes)**

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_Time__: Five years after Apollo's funeral_

_Location: Kurain Village_

* * *

When Athena stepped off the train, she couldn't believe her eyes. It was like she had stepped off the train into a piece of rural Japan. _Who knew a place like this was so close to Los Angeles?_

_I'd bet Simon would enjoy this place... right after he was done calling it eight variations of "backwards burg"._

Suppressing a snigger at that thought, Athena made for the largest of the houses, which was apparently the Fey Manor.

Steeling herself, she knocked on the door. She could hear some movement inside before the sliding door slid open.

"Athena!"

Athena only saw a glimpse of a familiar pretzel-shaped hairstyle before Pearl Fey launched herself into her arms.

"Oh goodness you're alright I was so worried about you and so was Mr. Nick where have you been and why haven't you told anyone about it and -"

Athena had to laugh slightly at this before breaking up their embrace.

"Relax, Pearly. I'm fine."

Pearl's face grew more serious. "She's in the Channeling Chamber. I'll guide you there."

"Thanks, Pearly."

The short walk was silent. Athena was anxious for it to end, but also dreaded what was to come. Eventually, they came to stop outside of a chamber. Pearl knocked on the door to signal their arrival.

"Well, I have to leave."

"You're not staying?" Athena had thought that Pearl would be interested in this event, but she only shook her head.

"No, it's taboo. I'll be in the next chamber over if you need me afterwards."

At that second, the heavy door opened and a black-haired woman opened. She wore slightly more ornate robes than Pearl and wore a charm around her neck. She looked like she was in her early thirties.

"Athena Cykes, I presume?"

Athena forced herself to smile. "Yes, Master Fey."

The woman smiled pleasantly. "Please, it's Maya. Any friends of Nick are my friends."

The two of them retreated into the chamber. In the ample candlelight, Athena saw an important-looking folding screen with a... bullet hole? _That must have been some story_, she mused, but decided not to pry.

Maya knelt on the straw mat and gestured for Athena to do the same. "Are you ready?"

* * *

With her background in analytical psychology, Athena had been familiar with the "five stages of grief", but she hadn't believed she'd experience them herself. Perhaps she thought herself to be immune, considering how she hadn't grieved for her mother like she should have. But with Apollo, she became a textbook example.

First came denial. Athena had shouted at Apollo to wake up, _begged _him to wake up, because all the evidence, the doctor's order to call it, the continuous beep of the heart rate monitor, the devastated faces of Mr. Wright and Trucy were all lying, because Apollo _could not be dead_, and why would nobody else see it?!

Then came anger. Both Athena and Mr. Wright had gone through this, and while they were careful not to lash out to one another or Trucy, their court tempers were short and their arguments became a lot more barbed and snappish. Athena had known this might happen, but thought she could prevent it. How wrong she was.

Then came bargaining. She began pursuing cases with a fervor never seen before, surprising even Mr. Wright. She had thought that maybe, just maybe, if she helped as many people as she could, she could wake up and this would all have been one bad dream? _If only I had come with them to look for that stupid evidence..._

Then came depression. She lost her edge in the courtroom, and eventually her focus, because she couldn't come to terms with the fact that the courtroom was where Apollo had received the blow which would snuff out his life. Eventually, she saw no other cause of action than to ask Mr. Wright to let her take a leave. Thankfully, he had understood.

A few months into her leave, she received the news that Junie had jumped from her roof, forcing her to go through the whole thing again.

She had spent the next five years travelling around in Europe, working as a psychologist's assistant and consultant, forcing smiles and telling others that it was okay to grieve, to let it all out, but never following her own advice.

And then she had received an e-mail. "Nick told me about what you're going through. I can help you find closure if you come to Kurain Village. M. F."

Athena had been suspicious, but she also figured she had nothing to lose. She set an appointment and booked her return ticket to Los Angeles.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Maya repeated.

Athena forced herself to look up. _This is it. _"Yeah."

"Alright then", smiled Maya. "Here goes."

Maya shut her eyes and concentrated, and then her body began to glow slightly as her features shifted, her hair began to shrink back into her skull, her hairline creeping slightly upwards, and the front of her fringe began to form into the ubiquitous horns...

Athena nearly gasped. _Apollo...!_

Maya - Apollo - opened her - his - eyes and looked at her. "Athena?"

Tears welled up in Athena's eyes and she couldn't help a happy sob. "A-Apollo...!"

Then she was hugging him tightly as if she was afraid that he'd leave again. He was only surprised for a moment before putting his arms tenderly around her.

When they pulled apart, Apollo looked at her. "You look like a wreck. What happened?"

And Athena told him everything. Afterwards, his concerned gaze turned sympathetic. "That rough, huh?"

Athena just punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Yeah, you lug. Why'd you have to go and die on me?"

"Sorry", Apollo began, but was interrupted by Athena kissing him ferociously. For a second, he seemed surprised, then he returned her kiss warmly, and for a moment, everything was right with the world.

When they broke apart, Athena finally found the nerve to say what she had wanted to say for so long. "Apollo... I love you."

"I love you too." He said with a warmth that caused her heart to flutter and they kissed again.

But when they broke apart, he looked at her with a mix of sadness and sympathy. "But... we can't be together."

"Why not?!" Athena cried, although she knew the answer.

"Athena", Apollo said. "You know we can't. You can't have a relationship with a dead person. That's the weirdest form of necrophilia."

Athena almost laughed through the tears threatening to build up. "I know, I know. It's just... I finally get to see you again, and..."

"Athena." Apollo looked at her. "You're going to have to move on sooner or later, you know."

"I don't kno..."

"YOU'RE GONNA BE FINE!" Apollo shouted at full strength, causing Athena to jump a foot up in the air. "Sorry", he continued sheepishly, "just thought some Chords of Steel could lighten the mood a little. Come on, your turn."

Athena shook her head with a small smile. "I'M ATHENA CYKES AND I'M FINE! ...No", she said sadly. "I'm not."

"I guess", said Apollo. "But you will be."

"I'M ATHENA CYKES AND I _WILL _BE FINE!"

"That's the spirit!" Apollo smiled, and then his mien became serious once more. "I have to go. Seems like the person who's channelling me wants her body back."

"Apollo", Athena sobbed as fresh tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Will I see you again?"

"Of course you will", Apollo winked. "You know there's an afterlife now, right?"

"I guess", Athena said.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just remember to smile!"

With that, he closed his eyes and she watched as Maya slowly returned to her usual form.

Could she do it? Could she return to her usual life? _Yes_, she concluded. _I will, for his sake._

"... Why does my mouth taste like orange juice?" Maya asked as soon as she opened her eyes.

And Athena laughed. Maybe her depression was going to give way for something else.

_Acceptance._

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**Author's note:**

**And that's it for _Five Stages of Turnabout. _It's been a year and a half, but finally, this story is complete. (Plus I finally got to put my high school psychology to good use in this chapter. What's not to like?)**

**I'd like to thank all of you for reading and reviewing. Even if I don't reply in person, I want you to know that it means a lot to me. Thank you.**

**The _Justice_ trilogy will be concluded with a oneshot story, _Life of Turnabout_, to be released soon.**

**Again, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed _Five Stages of Turnabout _as much as I enjoyed writing it.**


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